than if they had never been of my lineage. I told him, moreover, that, as to this Valley, he had quite misrepresented the thing; for, "before honour is humility, and a haughty spirit before a fall." Therefore, said I, I had rather go through this Valley to the honour that was so accounted by the wisest, than choose that which he esteemed most worthy of our affections. Chr. Met you with nothing else in that valley? Faith. Yes, I met with Shame; but of all the He is assaulted by men that I met with on my pilgrimage, he, I think, Shame. bears the wrong name. The other would be said Nay after a little argumentation, and somewhat else; but this bold-faced Shame would never have done. Chr. Why, what did he say to you? Faith. What! why, he objected against religion itself; he said it was a pitiful, low, sneaking business for a man to mind religion: he said that a tender conscience was an unmanly thing; and that for a man to watch over his words and ways, so as to tie up himself from that hectoring liberty that the brave spirits of the times accustom themselves unto, would make him the ridicule of the times. He objected also, that but few of the mighty, rich, or wise, were ever of my opinion; nor any of them neither, before they were persuaded to be fools, and to be of a voluntary fondness to venture the loss of all, for nobody else knows what.* He, moreover, objected the base and low estate and condition of those that were chiefly the Pilgrims of the times in which they lived; also their ignorance and want of understanding in all natural science. Yea, he did hold me to it at that rate also about a great many more things than here I relate; as, that it was a shame to sit whining and mourning under a sermon, and a shame to come sighing and groaning home; that it was a shame to ask my neighbour forgiveness for petty faults, or to make restitution where I have taken from any. He said also, that religion made a man grow strange to the great, because of a few vices, (which he called by finer names,) and made him own and respect the base, because of the same religious fraternity: and is not this, said he, a shame? Chr. And what did you say to him? Faith. Say! I could not tell what to say at first. Yea, he put me so to it, that my blood came up in my face: even this Shame fetched it up, and had almost beat me quite off. But at last I began among men is had to consider, that that which is highly esteemed in abomination with God. And I thought, again, this Shame tells me what men are; but it tells me nothing what God, or the * 1 Cor. i. 26.-iii. 18. Phil. iii. 7, 9. John vii. 48. † Luke xvi. 15. word of God, is. And I thought, moreover, that at the day of doom we shall not be doomed to death or life, according to the hectoring spirits of the world, but according to the wisdom and law of the Highest. Therefore, thought I, what God says is best, though all the men in the world are against it. Seeing, then, that God prefers his religion; seeing God prefers a tender conscience; seeing they that make themselves fools for the kingdom of Heaven are wisest, and that the poor man that loveth Christ is richer than the greatest man in the world that hates him; Shame, depart, thou art an enemy to my salvation: shall I entertain thee against my sovereign Lord? how then shall I look him in the face at his coming ? * Should I now be ashamed of his ways and servants, how can I expect the blessing? But indeed this Shame was a bold villain; I could scarcely shake him out of my company; yea, he would be haunting of me, and continually whispering me in the ear, with some one or other of the infirmities that attend religion; but at last I told him, that it was but in vain to attempt further in this business; for those things that he disdained, in those did I see most glory; and so at last I got past this importunate one. And when I had shaken him off, then I began to sing : The trials that those men do meet withal, That are obedient to the heavenly call, And come, and come, and come again afresh: O let the Pilgrims, let the Pilgrims then Chr. I am glad, my brother, that thou didst withstand this villain so bravely; for of all, as thou sayest, I think he has the wrong name: for he is so bold as to follow us in the streets, and to attempt to put us to shame before all men; that is, to make us ashamed of that which is good; but if he was not himself audacious, he would never attempt to do as he does: but let us still resist him; for, notwithstanding all his bravadoes, he promoteth the fool, and none else.. "The wise shall inherit glory (said Solomon,) but shame shall be the promotion of fools."† Faith. I think we must cry to Him for help against Shame, that would have us to be valiant for truth upon the earth. Chr. You say true. But did you meet with nobody else in that Valley? Faith. No, not I; for I had sunshine all the rest of the way through that, and also through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. *Mark viii. 38. + Prov. iii. 35, Chr. 'Twas well for you; I am sure it fared far otherwise with me. I had, for a long season, as soon almost as I entered into that Valley, a dreadful combat with that foul fiend Apollyon; yea, I thought verily he would have killed me, especially when he got me down, and crushed me under him, as if he would have crushed me to pieces. For, as he threw me, my sword flew out of my hand: nay, he told me he was sure of me; but I cried unto God, and He heard me, and delivered me out of all my troubles. Then I entered into the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and had no light for almost half the way through it. I thought I should have been killed there over and over; but at last day brake, and the sun rose, and I went through that which was behind with far more ease and quiet. Moreover, I saw in my dream, that, as they went on, Faithful, as he chanced to look on one side, saw a man, whose name is Talkative, walking at a distance beside them (for in this place there was room enough for them all to walk.) He Talkative describ. was a tall man, and something more comely at a ed. distance than at hand: to this man Faithful addressed himself in this manner : Faith. Friend! whither away? are you going to the Heavenly Country? Talk. I am going to the same place. Faith. That is well: then I hope we may have your good company Faithful and Talkative enter into dis course. ? Talk. With a very good will will I be your companion. Faith. Come on then, and let us go together, and let us spend our time in discoursing of things that are profitable. Talk. To talk of things that are good, to me is very acceptable, with you or any other; and I am glad that I have met with those that incline to so good a work; for, to speak the Talkative's dislike truth, there are but few who care thus to spend of bad discourse. their time, (as they are in their travels,) but choose much rather to be speaking of things to no profit; and this hath been a trouble to me. Faith. That is indeed a thing to be lamented; for what thing so worthy of the use of the tongue and mouth of men on earth, as are the things of the God of heaven? Talk. I like you wonderful well; for your sayings are full of conviction; and I will add, what thing is so pleasant, and what so profitable, as to talk of the things of God? What things so pleasant? that is, if a man hath any delight in things that are won derful; for instance, if a man doth delight to talk of the history or the mystery of things; or, if a man doth love to talk of miracles, wonders, or signs, where shall he find things recorded so delightful, and so sweetly penned, as in the Holy Scripture ? Faith. That is true; but to be profited by such things in our talk should be our chief design. Talkative's fine discourse. Talk. That is it that I said; for to talk of such things is most profitable; for, by so doing, a man may get knowledge of many things; as of the vanity of earthly things, and the benefit of things above. Thus in general: but, more particularly, by this a man may learn the necessity of the New Birth, the insufficiency of our works, the need of Christ's righteousness, &c. Besides, by this a man may learn what it is to repent, to believe, to pray, to suffer, or the like; by this also a man may learn what are the great promises and consolations of the gospel to his own comfort. Farther, by this a man may learn to refute false opinions, to vindicate the truth, and also to instruct the ignorant. Faith. All this is true; and glad am I to hear these things from you. Talk. Alas! the want of this is the cause that so few understand the need of faith, and the necessity of a work of grace in their soul, in order to eternal life; but ignorantly live in the works of the Law, by which a man can by no means obtain the Kingdom of Heaven. Faith. But, by your leave, heavenly knowledge of these is the gift of God; no man attaineth to them by human industry, or only by the talk of them. O brave Talkative. Talk. All that I know very well; for a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from Heaven; all is of grace, not of works: I could give you a hundred scriptures for the confirmation of this. Well then, said Faithful, what is that one thing that we shall at this time found our discourse upon ? O brave Talkative. Talk. What you will: I will talk of things heavenly, or things earthly; things moral, or things evangelical; things sacred, or things profane; things past, or things to come; things foreign, or things at home; things more essential, or things circumstantial; provided that all be done to our profit. and step by Talkative. Now did Faithful begin to wonder; Faithful beguiled ping to Christian, (for he walked all this while by himself,) he said to him, but softly, What a brave companion we have got? Surely this man will make a very excellent Pilgrim. At this Christian modestly smiled, and said, This man, with whom you are so taken, will beguile, with this tongue of his, twenty of them that know him not. Faith. Do you know him then? Christian makes a discovery of Talkative, telling Faith ful who he was. Chr. Know him! yes, better than he knows himself. Chr. His name is Talkative; he dwelleth in our town: I wonder that you should be a stranger to him, only I consider that our town is large. Faith. Whose son is he, and whereabout doth he dwell? Chr. He is the son of one Say-well; he dwelt in Prating-row, and he is known to all that are acquainted with him by the name of Talkative of Prating-row; and, notwithstanding his fine tongue, he is but a sorry fellow. Faith. Well, he seems to be a very pretty man. Chr. That is to them that have not a thorough acquaintance with him; for he is best abroad; near home he is ugly enough. Your saying that he is a pretty man brings to my mind what I have observed in the work of the painter, whose pictures show best at a distance; but, very near, more unpleasing. Faith. But I am ready to think you do but jest, because you smiled. Chr. God forbid that I should jest (though I smiled) in this matter, or that I should accuse any falsely! I will give you a further discovery of him. This man is for any company, and for any talk: as he talketh now with you, so will he talk when he is on the ale-bench; and the more drink he hath in his crown, the more of these things he hath in his mouth. Religion hath no place in his heart, or house, or conversation; all he hath is in his tongue, and his religion is to make a noise therewith. Talkative talks, but does not. Faith. Say you so? Then am I in this man greatly deceived. Chr. Deceived! you may be sure of it. Remember the proverb, "They say and do not ;" but "the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power."* He talketh of Prayer, of Repentance, of Faith, and of the New Birth; but he knows but only to talk of them. I have been in his family, and have observed him both at home and abroad; and I know what I say of him is the truth. His house is as empty of religion as the white of an egg is of savour. There is there neither prayer nor sign of repentance for sin; yea, the brute, in his kind, serves God far * Matth. xxiii. 3. 1 Cor. iv. 20. His house is empty of religion. |